Former Ref: I think the refs did great yesterday

There were 18 penalties called in the game and you could say the officiating crew got a frigid review from my Twitter followers, many indicating that the game was not called very well.

I disagree.

Baltimore-Denver was a tough game to officiate. There were a lot of points scored (73), a lot of passes thrown (77) and as I mentioned, it was cold. In fact, it was so cold where I was, I’m surprised my fingers didn’t go numb typing this sentence. But I have a good idea why so many people felt that way about the officials. Because the announcers weren’t always in agreement with what was ruled on the field. Which doesn’t necessarily mean that the officials were wrong.

The officials did not call a poor game. If you think otherwise, that’s just cold.

Hey Mike Pereira, I think I can speak for all Broncos fans when I say: go f#$@ yourself.

I agree with you 100%. A big game turning call that was bigger than Champs was the phantom holding call on Kuper. Next play was the (NO TUCK RULE). That flag came in 3 1/2 seconds after the play was over. Bottom line is we still had the game won in Regulation but we just had way way way too many gags!!

Posted by Jd Cowan on 2013-01-17 15:27:03

We beat Cincinnati and Baltimore. That's two teams with winning records. Otherwise we did play an easy schedule but you can only beat who you play. And I don't see what's "pussy" about pointing out how badly we got jobbed by the officials. Yes, we played poorly. But despite playing so poorly and getting jobbed by multiple calls we lost primarily because of a fluke play.

Posted by skinnytony on 2013-01-14 21:54:24

The timing thing is a great point. Here's why it's pretty relevant. A couple things defined games reffed by replacement officials.

1. The outcome of the game often hinged on highly questionable calls2. Those games were all 15-30 minutes longer than they should have been because officials stopped the game frequently and conferenced frequently.3. In almost all of those games there was no consistency in the calls made between plays. One play something would be PI the next it wasn't. 4. The worst calls were always on holding or PI. Either a flag with no foul to be found or calling nothing in obvious situations (their inability to understand and call holding penalties properly was shockingly bad although PI failures tended to be more noticable).5. An inability to get a call right even with replay. Goddamn was this the most difficult to accept, and probably why we got the NFL officials back in such a hurry. How can you get something wrong with clear replay evidence contradicting your call?

I think it's safe to say the officiating from that Broncos - Ravens game conforms to all 5 of those descriptions. It's safe to say that the quality of officiating in that game as equal to or worse than that which we saw at the beginning of the season from the replacement refs.

I will never be able to accept the outcome of that game no matter how the teams played. Taking into account the importance of the outcome, it was one of the worst officiated games of football I've ever seen.

Posted by timbert on 2013-01-14 18:28:38

Boy aren't we a tough guy Bob!

Posted by akatom3565 on 2013-01-14 17:17:56

Poor, Poor cry Baby. They were mediocre and the gunless geezer CHOKED as he has so many times in his career. Peyton Manning Choked. PEYTON CHOKING MANNING. You bet on the wrong horse and got embarrased on National TV. Now instead of being a man you want to cry like the little bitch you are. Facts are facts and Denver now officialy has the whiniest fans on the planet.

Posted by Bob Smith on 2013-01-14 16:56:15

Here's one fan who agrees with you completely.

Posted by carsonic on 2013-01-14 11:30:54

I am sorry Bob but that is painting eleven wins in a row as a piece of cake, that is a stupid Tebow crowd comment. If you don't think this team was better than that I feel you should check your fan commitment, not point fingers at the rest of us. FO!

Posted by akatom3565 on 2013-01-14 10:07:05

Finally someone with some sense. Nice to see ya Boydy.

Posted by Bob Smith on 2013-01-14 09:56:10

Man you guys make me ashamed to say I'm a Bronco Fan. When did the fan base turn into the Pussy crowd from Seattle? Jesus Christ your a fuckin emabarrasment. We lost. The team was mediocre at best. They beat 1 team all season witha winning record and that was when they were very, very hurt. They weren't that good. Quit Crying and just except it.

Posted by Bob Smith on 2013-01-14 09:55:30

Ben, this is pretty reserved for you, mate.

Posted by TJ Johnson on 2013-01-14 00:27:35

All we could all just admit our hired gun shot balnks, Champ sucked and the D brought now pressure and we have a HC who has the balls the size of raisins...or maybe thats just too simple. I was at the game, and it was a poor performance form all involved. Denver gave the game away. Most disappointing season ever!

Posted by boydy2669 on 2013-01-13 23:54:26

a lot of money flowed on Denver in Vegas ;)

Posted by brettod77 on 2013-01-13 21:22:54

Whaaa...it was a hard game to officiate. Booo fuckin' hoo. Douche BAG!!! Those calls were horrible, frequent and slowed the game down something awful. That head ref was on the TV more than DT and Decker! I don't know what it was about his fucking face, but i wanted to bury my knuckles in it.....whew that felt good. I'm done and likely moving on to acceptance now. Thanks guys.

Posted by brettod77 on 2013-01-13 21:20:06

I had friends of mine call me after the game stating that the refs in the Seattle game were better than ones at the Bronco game yesterday, and they are Packer fans.

Posted by akatom3565 on 2013-01-13 21:18:22

I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere, but maybe I missed it. While there were plenty of terrible calls, most of them slanted towards Baltimore, what bothers me more is a little more subtle. Even with calls that went Denver's way, the game was poorly officiated simply because everything took so damn long. The worst example was probably late in the first half when there were two identical, 5-yard penalties against Baltimore on the same play, and it took about 5 minutes for the crew to figure out how to handle that (one's declined, give Denver 5 yards). But nearly every play throughout seemed to involve a drawn-out conference.

It may be paranoid, but I can't help but think that slowing the pace of the game down like that is a problem for the team that has a reputation for running a no-huddle offense. On top of that, with the announcers continuously harping on how the officials were in new crews that weren't used to working together, it really starts to sound like an excuse they were handed before the game even started.

And finally: What could temperature possibly have to do with seeing what's happening on the field and making correct calls? The only thing I can think of that cold would effect would be how long it took to grab a flag, so maybe that's why so many of them were late.

Posted by MrMcBronco on 2013-01-13 20:42:04

Really hate to see crap like this. The refs were awful. They made horrible calls on both sides and they did the one thing refs are not supposed to do. They left their finger prints all over the game.

The best officiated games are the ones you don't notice them. To reiterate they did not do their jobs and to hell with anyone who says they did.

Posted by BRASO on 2013-01-13 20:39:20

And dont forget that they only apply the tuck rule to Brady. Manning didnt fumble according to the rule

Posted by generic internet commentor on 2013-01-13 20:20:24

Other commenters have covered the lateness of the flags and the variance between Denver's offensive holding and pass interference calls versus the (lack of) those calls on Baltimore. I think the officials incompetence ultimately very much favored the Ravens, however, Baltimore did have some beefs: 1) The fourth down conversion that was called a first down without measurement, and then challenged and upheld (because the replay showed an indecipherable scrum around Hester). 2) The defensive holding call against Baltimore on a short route to Thomas seemed somewhat ticky/tack (though Denver had the far worse complaints to make about calls and non calls on PI/pass defense). 3) On Holliday's kickoff return I believe I saw a couple of questionable blocks by the Broncos... seems like the officials could see and call an illegal block on almost any return.

PS... still think it was a tuck rule non-fumble. And the 'analysis' offered by Perreira... well it hardly counts if you reach subjective conclusions that all the elements of a fumble rather than a tuck rule were met. That assumes "facts" not in evidence though. Yes, _IF_ PM successfully tucked the ball, then the call on the field of fumble is correct. That's a pretty big if from the replays I have seen. Perreira's so called analysis simply becomes a syllogism when he offers as fact his subjective judgment of the key element of the play.

Posted by Brian Anderson on 2013-01-13 19:59:05

I would also like to invite Mike Periera to go **** himself. Perhaps with a pine cone, or a cactus branch. Apologistic NFL meat puppet, I guess he'd have to get Goodell's hand out of there first. Not that I'm bitter about it or anything.

Posted by listopencil on 2013-01-13 19:50:00

Three, I think. The phantom PI against Tony Carter on Baltimore's second drive (which would later lead to their first touchdown). The Decker pick-six. And the late-game phantom PI against Champ Bailey.

Although in Denver's final go-ahead drive, there were a couple of close calls that went Denver's way.

Posted by tunesmith on 2013-01-13 19:40:16

Pereira: "Heckuva job, Brownie!"

Posted by underdog on 2013-01-13 19:32:53

underdog Next up is bargaining. Like what if: Fox had balls, Moore could cover deep, our D could hold them under 30, etc...

Then you can wallow in depression and if ever, acceptance.

Posted by iamafreeman on 2013-01-13 19:27:11

That's another thing. I'm sure I'm biased here, but it seemed to me that damn near every time the Broncos offense had a good play (first downs, etc.), a flag came flying in as they were about to run the next play which would negate it. Literally, AS THEY WERE LINING UP FOR THE NEXT PLAY. I don't recall that happening to the Ravens at all.

Posted by ronin_jubei on 2013-01-13 19:17:53

Not the worst reffed game I've seen, but some highly subjective and questionable calls certainly contributed to the Denver loss. There was a no call and/or ticky tack or 2 against Bmore too, but none as gameturning as the pick6 no call, the PI call vs. Carter on the long 3rd down. or the phantom PI on Champ.

Given Fox, Moore, Prater, Champ, PM, DT and Dooms boneheaded performances I certainly won't claim the refs cost us this game... but they certainly didn't help either.

Yes, the more I think about this game, the less it feels like 96 to me. In 96, Jax came in, played out of their minds, and beat us. In this one, we beat ourselves with a generous dose of bad reffing and bad luck.

Posted by cjfarls on 2013-01-13 19:16:16

Not to mention he picked those 2 points. Nice try Pereira, even ESPN showed how bungled the game was. And they suck bad.

Posted by Broncologist on 2013-01-13 19:15:59

As Chibronx mentioned in the Gut comments, on one of the Smith TDs, Von Miller was basically in a rear naked choke with his fingertips about a foot away from Flacco. No call.

In fact, I'm pretty sure Dierdorf called it 'great protection' since he was fluffing the Baltimore O-line all game long. Their 'great protection' typically involved their tackles bear hugging our pass rushers, allowing Flacco to hit his deep drops easily. I'm sure a lot of the offsides penalties late in the game were an outcome of the frustration of constantly being beaten by the O-line thanks to the holding.

Posted by ronin_jubei on 2013-01-13 19:13:46

You f'ing cock Pereira. The down and distance with 3rd and 11 because we just got the biggest phantom hold penalty called on us after we made a 1st down. And the flag was thrown 3 days late.

Not blaming the officiating but let's call a spade a f'ing spade!

Posted by Broncologist on 2013-01-13 19:13:13

I'd love to see that, too. I wish I had the time and video editing ability (as well as the stomach for it) to dissect the calls in yesterday's game, call by call. Yeah if anyone runs across it (or maybe an IAOFM writer will take it on...)

Meanwhile, OT but small consolation prize and we'll never know for sure, but if Broncos defense played anywhere near as poorly/erratically as they did yesterday even at home I see no way they stop these Patriots. If they couldn't stop the less powerful Ravens often enough yesterday...

Posted by underdog on 2013-01-13 19:12:39

Has anyone done a detailed breakdown/analysis of all the big calls/no-calls anywhere?

Posted by skinnytony on 2013-01-13 19:09:25

Did the Ravens get called for a single offensive holding all game? I don't think they did. Mind-boggling considering every time I looked up Miller or Dumervil was being wrestled to the turf.

Posted by Chris Sturgess on 2013-01-13 18:56:59

No doubt! What is he supposed to say? They stunk from beginning to end. Someone please pass me the whiskey.

Posted by William Hale on 2013-01-13 18:42:25

I actually immediately went into anger and then depression, skipped denial altogether. Much more efficient. What's next stage--acceptance, and then heavy drinking?

Posted by underdog on 2013-01-13 18:31:19

"The officials did not call a poor game. If you think otherwise, that’s just cold."

False. The officials imposed themselves on the game from the beginning. I still don't know what the hell constitutes offensive or defensive pass interference, and the same goes for offensive holding.

Denver made their fair share of obvious penalties. But the stark contrast between how the Ravens and the Broncos did or did not get interference and holding calls was a HUGE factor in the game. That on top of the seemingly constant game stoppages which seemed inevitably to come when the Broncos had the ball.

If he would just at least address the blatant no-call on what should've been PI on that pick-six, one of several key calls or no calls that could've changed the whole course of the game, that would be great. But of course he won't. What's the point of even commenting on refs if you're always going to support them?

Posted by underdog on 2013-01-13 18:23:22

I'm just glad we have moved beyond denial and are firmly into the anger stage of grief.

Posted by iamafreeman on 2013-01-13 18:22:15

Pereira will always tow the company line. He has the NFL company logo stamped on his ass and his head up Roger's backside.